


You were written in the stars that we are swimming in

by makesometime



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Afterlife, Afterlife Reunions, Character Death, Descriptions of Pain, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, M/M, Pain, Resurrection, Spoilers for episode 174
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27007015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makesometime/pseuds/makesometime
Summary: Oscar wakes up.And he is not alone.
Relationships: Grizzop drik Acht Amsterdam & Oscar Wilde, Grizzop drik Acht Amsterdam & Sasha Racket, Sasha Racket & Oscar Wilde, Zolf Smith/Oscar Wilde
Comments: 26
Kudos: 82





	You were written in the stars that we are swimming in

**Author's Note:**

> *looks around at you all*
> 
> *takes a deep breath*
> 
> Well that surely was an event that did take place. Stop reading NOW if you haven't listened to episode 174.
> 
> Okay so. I know that there is hope, and I trust Alex not to lie to us. I absolutely do not know how I feel about everything yet and I don't think I'll stop feeling anxious until the 10th of November to be entirely honest with you. What's that saying? I can take the pain, but it's the hope that kills me. Yeah. Something like that.
> 
> I'm sure there's going to be some incredible angst pieces coming out of this fandom in the next three weeks but that's not where my talents lie as an author. So, in honour of our Salty Sea Dad - have some Hope.

Oscar opens his eyes, blinking up at a star-filled sky, a hint of a crescent moon peeking in on his peripheral vision. His chest _hurts_ but a quick pat of his hand to it reveals nothing wrong, that he can feel…

“Oi.”  
“Wilde?”

He sits up sharply, turning to face the source of the voices with a breathless sort of hope catching in his throat.

Grizzop snarls back at him, Sasha loitering awkwardly behind him and his chest fills with an immeasurable amount of emotion all at once.

If he’s with them, then...

“What are you doing here?”

He fights a smile, locking eyes with Sasha and seeing the same sort of amusement reflected in her expression. “Grizzop, I really wish I knew.”

#

They settle in silence on the ridge of a hill. His hair ruffles in a comfortably warm breeze and he feels at peace for the first time in weeks, with his friends settled on either side. He has to fight not to stare at them, to drink in their faces and top up his faded mental images of them - Grizzop, looking much as he remembers and Sasha, aged, weathered but _happy_.

“You can’t stay, y’know.” Sasha says quietly. “It’s not your time.”

Oscar can’t help but laugh. “How can you possibly know that?”

“She’s right.” Grizzop pipes up. “You’ve got shit to do still. Oscar Wilde isn’t dying to a _fall_.”

A flare of annoyance fills him, taking him right back to the moment he clutched Sasha’s letter in his hands and sobbed, his entire team away at Shoin’s with no way of knowing if they’d return. “And you, both of you, deserved to die two thousand years away from your friends?”

“I died saving Sasha.” Grizzop retorts, red eyes narrowed as if goading him to dissent. “That’s worthy.”

Oscar nods, looking down at his hands. “Very.”

He can feel the force of Sasha’s tender smile, even without seeing it. “And I lived a good life, Wilde. There’s nothing to regret.”

Tears prickle his eyes as he thinks of everything he left undone. Everything he left unsaid. “I have… a _few_ regrets.”

“Yeah well good thing you’re going back.” Grizzop huffs, ears twitching in annoyance and hands moving over his bow to remove imaginary smudges of dirt. “Not that we don’t want you here.”

He feels a hand on his shoulder, looks over at Sasha in surprise. He curses that he can’t remember if she ever initiated contact with him before. He can’t help but wonder what sort of life she lived to bring her to this point. The people she loved, the lives she touched.

“They still need you.” She says. “More than we do. We're not going anywhere, yeah?” 

“Are you happy here?” 

The words leave him all in a rush, inspiring a stifled laugh from Grizzop and a grin from Sasha. 

“We're not always here. Sometimes this one wants to hunt and I need to keep my skills sharp.” She says. “But yes. I am.” 

“Me too.” Grizzop adds without looking over, his eyes tracking the horizon with his usual focus. 

“Then why shouldn't I stay? I'm so _tired._ Haven't I earned this?” 

“It's not about earning it.” Grizzop shifts, digging the heel of his boot into the grass. “It's about finishing what you started.”

“And you know they can't do it without you.”

“They can—.” 

“They _can_.” Sasha inclines her head. “But should they have to? Azu, Hamid.” She pauses, eyes twinkling with some of that mischief he's missed. “Zolf?” 

There's that tightness in his chest again. “Have you been watching us?”

Her grin is wide, matched by Grizzop's snort. “So what if we have?”

Oscar only realises he’s been clenching his fists when he becomes aware of the ache in them, the spreading sense of pain that works its way through his body once more. It doesn’t feel right, leaves him shifting awkwardly, trying to remove the sense of crawling that he can feel just under his skin...

“Told you.” Grizzop says, looking between him and Sasha. “Bet he’ll glow.”

“Wh—.”

The pain in his chest flares, sending him flat on his back once more, gasping for breath against the _pressure, the pressure why does it feel like he’s being ripped apart_ —.

He sees Grizzop and Sasha’s faces above him, both smiling, all of Grizzop’s many teeth glinting in the moonlight. He wants to reach out, but they feel impossibly far away, and when they speak it’s muffled to his ringing ears.

“See you soon Wilde.” Sasha says. “I’ll practice my puns.”

“Say hi to the others for us.” Grizzop adds. “Tell Hamid to chill out a bit.”

He feels like he’s burning up, the world going fuzzy at the edges, everything hurts, everything hurts and the last thing he hears is—.

“Told you’d he’d glow.”

#

He needs to cough like he’s never coughed before, his chest aches like it’s filled with fluid but he can’t breathe he can’t breathe he can’t—.

“Woah, steady now.”

Oscar opens his eyes again, another starry skyscape above him but this time the face that fills his vision is painted with a sort of relief that leaves him an entirely different kind of breathless.

He feels magical warmth suffuse his chest as he clutches desperately at Zolf’s wrists, finally being able to make out the heat of palms on his skin as the ache subsides. He looks down and sees blood all over his skin and clothes, a fresh line of pink right in the middle of his stomach to match the one on his face.

And Zolf. 

_Zolf_.

“Hey.” He says quietly, barely stopping to consider the raspy nature of his voice. “You’ll never guess who I saw.”

“Tell me about it later.” Zolf smiles.

It’s only now that he recognises how utterly wrecked Zolf looks, like he’s aged a decade in a few hours, covered in other people’s blood and soot and dust.

“I have so much I need to tell you.” Oscar breathes, rubbing his thumb restlessly over the inside of Zolf’s wrist.

“Same.” Zolf croaks, the tension going out of his shoulders in a rush. “Starting with how to attach yourself to the guideline you absolute idiot.”

Oscar smiles so broadly that it makes his cheeks ache. “I think we somewhat missed the boat on that one, Zolf.”

Zolf’s lovely eyes go dark. “Don’t joke. Not now. Please.” 

He can do nothing but nod, winding his fingers tight with Zolf’s. “Later, then.”

After all. They’ve got time.

**Author's Note:**

> Stay strong everyone. Hit me up with any messages [@makesometime](http://makesometime.tumblr.com) on tumblr, [@makesometime_](http://www.twitter.com/makesometime_) on twitter and I'm on the official Discord if you'd like to DM. I adore talking to you lovelies and would humbly like to offer to fill any prompts that you might need to get you through the next few weeks <3


End file.
